Short arm or Long arm
04-06-2017, 12:54 PM
#22
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First off, long arms will do NOTHING to help with your axle position. [B]I talked to Synergy today and they are claiming that the bolt on kit they have will center my axle positioning along with give me way better handling on/off road than any other kit out right now. I would assume that any LA kit would do this not just Synergy.[/B]
The only reason to get a long arm is because you are over 4" of lift and want the following:
Better on road handled
Better off road handling at high speed only
Truthfully, you don't need a long arm and the cost is quite high for the little benefits gained unless you need big improvements in the 2 points above. I don't do extreme off-roading and would rather have better performance on/off-road but don't want to just throw money away for no reason. I could spend it on other items I need.
I have 4+" lift on 37s with short arms, and yea, long arms would be nice, but not $4000+ nice and I really like my ride and setup a lot. EVO plush coils and King 2.5 shocks, adjustable control arms all the way around.
The only reason to get a long arm is because you are over 4" of lift and want the following:
Better on road handled
Better off road handling at high speed only
Truthfully, you don't need a long arm and the cost is quite high for the little benefits gained unless you need big improvements in the 2 points above. I don't do extreme off-roading and would rather have better performance on/off-road but don't want to just throw money away for no reason. I could spend it on other items I need.
I have 4+" lift on 37s with short arms, and yea, long arms would be nice, but not $4000+ nice and I really like my ride and setup a lot. EVO plush coils and King 2.5 shocks, adjustable control arms all the way around.
04-06-2017, 01:22 PM
#23
JK Jedi
If you understand geometry at all a properly set up long arm will give a better ride over a short arms any height, this is truth. The amount of benefit you get is increased as the amount of lift is increased. The 4" number you often see is a forum myth and is really a result of how bad a short arm will ride and perform at greater lift heights. Of course a long arm needs to be properly set up and the brackets placement is key. Clearance is a big issue because most "kits" hang brackets below the frame and the lower arms can get hung up on stuff easier then a short arm.
Is the extra expense and shortcoming from the long arm kits out there worth it to you or not is the real question. Since you still have factory arms your investment over a short arm kit would be the cost of the brackets and the cost to install them so it is not a net $4k to go long arms since you are going to be at $2k+ for a short arm. If you are going to pay a shop to do the brackets then expect to pay for 10-15 hours of fab work to install them along with the rest of the kit where as a short arm kit typically is a 4-6 hour job.
Is the extra expense and shortcoming from the long arm kits out there worth it to you or not is the real question. Since you still have factory arms your investment over a short arm kit would be the cost of the brackets and the cost to install them so it is not a net $4k to go long arms since you are going to be at $2k+ for a short arm. If you are going to pay a shop to do the brackets then expect to pay for 10-15 hours of fab work to install them along with the rest of the kit where as a short arm kit typically is a 4-6 hour job.
04-06-2017, 02:04 PM
#24
JK Freak
Of course you can buy a long arm at shorter heights.
I am slightly confused on what sort of centering you are talking about with the axle. Front to back or side to side? Any adjustable CA will fix front to bad, no CA will fix side to side—only correction brackets will do this. Synergey is making a false claim saying their kit is better than any others on the market so I would be wary of them if only because of that. There is a reason people go with Currie/EVO CAs after dumping other cheaper brands.
EVO long arm is $2500 parts only. Labor is at least another $1500+.
I would go with the EVO short arm. Spend the extra on other things you'll need, like driveshafts, or other.
I am slightly confused on what sort of centering you are talking about with the axle. Front to back or side to side? Any adjustable CA will fix front to bad, no CA will fix side to side—only correction brackets will do this. Synergey is making a false claim saying their kit is better than any others on the market so I would be wary of them if only because of that. There is a reason people go with Currie/EVO CAs after dumping other cheaper brands.
EVO long arm is $2500 parts only. Labor is at least another $1500+.
I would go with the EVO short arm. Spend the extra on other things you'll need, like driveshafts, or other.
04-06-2017, 03:44 PM
#25
JK Jedi
I would say Synergy is the second best long arm kit on the market behind Genright's double triangulated.
$30,000 set up. Personally either synergy's or metal cloaks short arm would be on the top of my list if I were going to buy a kit.
$30,000 set up. Personally either synergy's or metal cloaks short arm would be on the top of my list if I were going to buy a kit.
04-07-2017, 04:37 PM
#26
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40's can be done properly with both a long arm or short arm. 3.5" lift and flat fenders can work very well with 40's as well. The key is proper setup, which is not easy to find someone to do. Anybody can bolt on XYZ brand parts but actually doing all the necessary "massaging" of brackets and sheet metal to make it work properly takes a level of skill/experience that many shops lack.
I would question running 40's on a DD that is only wheeled 3-4 times per year. The cost to properly run 40's is significantly higher than sticking with 37's. Factory D44's can typically handle 37's fairly well with a few upgrades, despite the horror stories that you may read. There will be increased maintenance and the brakes will be marginal but it is doable if you use your head and not your right foot.
I would question running 40's on a DD that is only wheeled 3-4 times per year. The cost to properly run 40's is significantly higher than sticking with 37's. Factory D44's can typically handle 37's fairly well with a few upgrades, despite the horror stories that you may read. There will be increased maintenance and the brakes will be marginal but it is doable if you use your head and not your right foot.
04-08-2017, 12:10 PM
#27
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40's can be done properly with both a long arm or short arm. 3.5" lift and flat fenders can work very well with 40's as well. The key is proper setup, which is not easy to find someone to do. Anybody can bolt on XYZ brand parts but actually doing all the necessary "massaging" of brackets and sheet metal to make it work properly takes a level of skill/experience that many shops lack. I would question running 40's on a DD that is only wheeled 3-4 times per year. The cost to properly run 40's is significantly higher than sticking with 37's. Factory D44's can typically handle 37's fairly well with a few upgrades, despite the horror stories that you may read. There will be increased maintenance and the brakes will be marginal but it is doable if you use your head and not your right foot.
04-09-2017, 09:25 AM
#28
Former Vendor
Yes I know there are many many threads on this topic. I have read where a lot of people say don't waste your money on long arm kits because it's not worth the money. On the other hand you have people and also company reps that will tell you that if you have the money do a long arm upgrade because it's the better investment.
I'm leaning on forum members to help me out. I'm currently setup on 3.5" lift, flat fenders and 37's with stock arms. It has crossed my mind several times to consider going to 40's but don't plan on going any higher (lift) if I don't have to. My main issue is getting my axles centered back and angled like they should be to improve the ride quality and pinion angles. I didn't buy the jeep for a Honda Accord ride but it could definitely be better. I also wheel around 3-4 times a year and use the jeep as a DD where I travel about 30 miles on the interstate a day. I want reliability! Any help is greatly appreciated.
I'm leaning on forum members to help me out. I'm currently setup on 3.5" lift, flat fenders and 37's with stock arms. It has crossed my mind several times to consider going to 40's but don't plan on going any higher (lift) if I don't have to. My main issue is getting my axles centered back and angled like they should be to improve the ride quality and pinion angles. I didn't buy the jeep for a Honda Accord ride but it could definitely be better. I also wheel around 3-4 times a year and use the jeep as a DD where I travel about 30 miles on the interstate a day. I want reliability! Any help is greatly appreciated.
Unless someone is really invested in transforming their Jeep into an aftermarket heavy, off road biased beast, we never recommend a LA kit for a JK.
Sure, everything pro long arm is saying is technically correct, they do give you a little better geometry, better high speed performance and give you those warm and fuzzy "I just did someone awesome to my Jeep" feelings.
That being said, there are diminishing returns on your investment vs just dressing out your short arm kit, especially at 3.5" of lift. Your ride won't be noticeably better in real life, really. Your off-road performance won't wow you vs a short arm, and your wallet will be a little less padded, plus you'll have all of those arms hanging out under your Jeep.
I would invest in some nice adjustable control arms, track bars, driveshafts and shocks. Your Jeep will be less molested and generally more reliable, and you'll be ready to roll. You can get your pinion properly positioned and your axles centered, and the arms on a JK are plenty long enough to give you pretty flat control arm angle, performance and ride quality.
My $.02.
04-09-2017, 11:32 AM
#29
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A little late to jump on the bandwagon, but I'll chime in here. Unless someone is really invested in transforming their Jeep into an aftermarket heavy, off road biased beast, we never recommend a LA kit for a JK. Sure, everything pro long arm is saying is technically correct, they do give you a little better geometry, better high speed performance and give you those warm and fuzzy "I just did someone awesome to my Jeep" feelings. That being said, there are diminishing returns on your investment vs just dressing out your short arm kit, especially at 3.5" of lift. Your ride won't be noticeably better in real life, really. Your off-road performance won't wow you vs a short arm, and your wallet will be a little less padded, plus you'll have all of those arms hanging out under your Jeep. I would invest in some nice adjustable control arms, track bars, driveshafts and shocks. Your Jeep will be less molested and generally more reliable, and you'll be ready to roll. You can get your pinion properly positioned and your axles centered, and the arms on a JK are plenty long enough to give you pretty flat control arm angle, performance and ride quality. My $.02.